Rock Hill will rock with Kansas downtown Friday

The ’70s were arguably the most fertile and diverse decade of rock music ever. Thanks to the sheer number of bands in a music scene jammed with heavyweights – Chicago, Aerosmith, Boston, Rush, Styx, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Foreigner, Journey so many more – it was extremely competitive.

Rising out of it all was Kansas – live Friday at the Old Town Amphitheater in downtown Rock Hill – a band that found its niche with a unique hybrid of rock and progressive rock fused with classical and even orchestral qualities. Creative art, a signature sound, clever word play and interesting instrumentation all bring to life the visionary style of Kansas.

Emerging in 1973-74 from – where else? – Kansas, specifically Topeka, the band’s solid Midwestern roots and hard work ethic also contributed to the total musical alchemy.

The result was two monster hit songs, “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in The Wind,” and sales of 30 million records overall. Kansas racked up eight gold albums, three multiple platinum albums – “Leftoverture,” “Point of Know Return” and “The Best of Kansas” – plus a platinum live album, “Two for the Show.” In many ways the success of Kansas has never really waned. Their music is memorable, timeless, speaks to all ages and remains at the top on classic rock radio.

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Over the decades, some things changed including the Kansas lineup. The current lineup features original members Phil Ehart on drums and Richard Williams on lead guitar. They are joined by Billy Greer, bass/vocals; David Manion, keyboards; Ronnie Platt, vocals/keyboards; and David Ragsdale, violin/guitar.

Recently, I called founding member Richard Williams in Atlanta to discuss all things Kansas, including the upcoming, now-sold-out show in Rock Hill. “It’ll be a great weekend,” he predicted. “Everything’s close: a show in Florence, playing there in Rock Hill then back to Atlanta for a show this weekend with Boston. We’re absolutely looking forward to the concert there,” then added, “It’s sold out, and that’s always good.”

Williams avoids categorizing music. “I don’t even worry about labels,” he said. “It’s all music to me. I like some stuff I don’t like other stuff. That’s kind of my prerogative,” then added, “Music is something to be enjoyed. If it tickles your ear drums, then listen to it.”

As a founding member of Kansas, he does have an opinion on the band’s success and longevity. “We were just a good band with meaningful lyrics that stood the test of time, with songs to perform, no matter what your age,” he said. “We were fortunate to pick music and subject matter with a youthful expression.”

Is there some advice in that for young/aspiring musicians? “I’d advise anyone – if you’re a musician then just do it and enjoy it,” Williams said. “Don’t expect too much from it, because the odds are not in your favor.”

Then, after a pause, he added, “I mean, I was not the best guitar player in Topeka when we put together this band. I was a good team player, and that worked. It’s my 43rd year at this now. There is a certain matter of luck involved as much as talent, so just enjoy it and surround yourself with what you need. Then if something good comes out of that, OK. If not, then OK, you’ll have something interesting to look back on.”

What about his own memorable moments? “That’s just an impossible question,” Williams is quick to say. Then he pauses and continues, “There are milestones! Oh yeah” – another pause, then, “Of course, getting a record deal was important. We had no thought of being in the big arena. There were all these bands already that were our heroes.”

From that point the milestones would pile up quickly: recording an album, touring, then more albums, airplay (especially college airplay). Then the fourth Kansas album, “Leftoverture,” with its hit song “Carry On Wayward Son,” changed everything. “It all exploded!” Williams said. “It was ultimately a platinum record, then a multiple platinum record.” That upward trend continued to another album. “And suddenly,” he said, “we were playing arenas with our peers. To this day it amazes me.”

Friday, we really will be in Kansas, live at the Old Town Amphitheater at City Hall, 155 Johnston St., downtown Rock Hill. For more information on the music go to kansasband.com or find them on Facebook.